Imaging system and method for image localization of surgical effectors using C-arm characterization parameters

A method for acquiring an X-ray image of anatomical features and surgical effectors in a surgical space of a patient, comprising:

• detecting the position of one or more surgical effectors in the surgical space and generating position data therefor;
• detecting a particular pose of a particular C-arm for acquiring a live X-ray of the surgical space, the particular C-arm including an X-ray emitter and an X-ray detector, the detector including an array of a plurality of pixels activatable by an X-ray cone beam from the emitter;
• accessing a database of a plurality of characterization parameters of the particular C-arm that include a number of parameters that are unique to the particular C-arm and that are dependent on the pose of the particular C-arm in a plurality of predetermined poses of the particular C-arm, wherein the characterization parameters determine the position of the cone beam;
• determining if the particular pose corresponds to one of the plurality of predetermined poses and
• if so, obtaining the characterization parameters of the particular C-arm in the particular pose and incorporating the characterization parameters into one or more equations implemented in imaging software, stored and implemented by an image processing device, to establish the position of the cone beam and generate an image of the anatomical features and surgical effectors in the surgical space detected by the particular C-arm, or
• if not, obtaining the characterization parameters of the particular C-arm in two or more of said plurality of predetermined poses that are closest to said particular pose and then interpolating characterization parameters corresponding to said particular pose from the characterization parameters corresponding to the two or more of said plurality of predetermined poses and incorporating the interpolated characterization parameters into said one or more equations implemented in imaging software to generate the image of the anatomical features and surgical effectors in the surgical space detected by the particular C-arm, wherein;
• the image is represented by pixels of the detector activated by the X-ray cone beam,
• the locations of the pixels activated by the X-ray cone beam are determined by the one or more equations as a function of the position data and the characterization parameters of the particular C-arm in the particular pose that determine the position of the X-ray cone beam, and
• the one or more equations are operable to determine the locations of the pixels corresponding to the anatomical features and the surgical effectors detected by the X-ray cone beam in the surgical space;
• acquiring a live X-ray of the surgical space;
• operating the imaging software to generate a live image of the anatomical features and surgical effectors in the surgical space based on the locations of the pixels activated by the X-ray cone beam as determined by the one or more equations as a function of the characterization parameters;
• and
• displaying the live image.